Fire extinguisher discharge valve



Filed Aug. 19, 1950 Aug 23, 1955 c. K. HUTHslNG ET AL FIRE EXTINGUISHER DISCHARGE VALVE United States Patent Oce -*arented Aug. 23, i955 Fran antagonist-:nn nrserranon varvr:

Charles K. Huthsing, Los Angeles, and John W. Howard, Temple City, Calif.; said laoward assigner to said Huthsing Application August 19, 1955), Serial No. 18%,353

4 Claims. (nl. 37-68) This invention relates to improvements in a discharge head to be used in connection with high pressure duid containers and particularly nre extinguishers employing carbon dioxide.

An object of the present invention is to provide a discharge head of lig ter weight and more compact design than heretofore, thereby effecting an economic saving; to provide a discharge head having a lower overall height than heretofore; to provide a discharge head of such construction and design as to reduce the liability of being broken ofi of the container upon which it is mounted, during shipment and handling of the containers; to provide a discharge head of this character in which the safety plug is located in a protected position with respect to the valve operating and lift handles which are mounted on said head; to provide a discharge head of this character in which the main discharge valve and its cooperating spring are located within that portion of the body which is surrounded by the container on which it is mounted, thereby giving maximum protection for the operating parts; to provide an improved construction ot' valve body, core and valve stem construction in which all of the operating parts may be removed for service, repair or replacement without removing the valve body from the container in which it is mounted.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of a high pressure container having the improved discharge valve mounted therein.

Fig. 2 is a vertical medial sectional view taken on the line H-il of Fig. l looking in the direction indicated by the arrows and showing the lift handle or carrying handle in its two positions.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line ill- Ill of Fig. 2 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of the valve core.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line V-V of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view in elevation showing the top end of a high pressure container with the improved valve threaded therein and showing particularly how the valve operating handle is positioned outwardly or above the turning nut of the valve.

In the construction shown in the drawings a high pressure drawn steel container or bottle 6 is shown provided with an interiorly threaded neck 3 for receiving a discharge valve generally designated 1%. The discharge valve 10 comprises a body portion 12 having an annular exteriorly threaded neck portion 14 adapted to be screwed into the bottle neck 8 in the usual manner of discharge valves for containers of this character. The body i2 is provided with a straight through bore of different diameters which provide annular shoulders at the different points of changing size of the bore.

The inner end of the valve body housed within the bottle or container 6 is provided with a bore 16 adapted to slidably receive a syphon tube 1.8 and terminating at its upper end in a shoulder 2t) which limits the upward movement of the syphon tube i3 by abutting thereagainst, the shoulder 20 being substantially the same width as the thickness of the tube wall 1S. An O-ring 22 is mounted in an annular groove adjacent the lower end of the bore lo and snugly surrounds the tube 18 for sealing the same to the valve body.

Adjacent the bore lo and adjacent the shoulder 2t) is provided a bore 24 substantially the saine size as the interior of the tube l and which leads to and communicates with a larger bore 26. At the juncture of the bores 2d and 26 there is formed an annular shoulder 28 which serves as a spring seat for helical compression spring 3@ loosely housed within the bore 26 with its inner end seated upon and bearing against the shoulder 28.

riihe bore 26 is interiorly threaded at its outer end as shown at 3E to receive the exteriorly threaded inner end of a valve core 34.

Outward of the threaded portion 32 the bore is enlarged as shown at 36, and an annular shoulder 3S is formed at the juncture of the bore portion 36 and threaded portion 32 so as to provide an annular seat for a gasket, if so desired.

The core 34 is provided with an axially extending passageway dil therethrough and diarnetrically aligned transverse passageways 42, the inner ends of which communicate with and intersect the axial passageway 49 and the outer ends of which communicate with an annular groove 4dformed around the outer periphery of the enlarged portion e56- of the core 34. The two diameters of the core body form an annular shoulder adapted to seal against the shoulder 3S of the valve body.

The valve body is provided with a discharge passageway 4S, the inner end of which communicates with the annular groove d and the outer end of which terminates in a closed dome-shaped nipple having transverse bores 56 in alignment therethrough which permits discharge Without rebound or recoil. rll'he portion of the valve body through which the discharge passageway 43 extends is exteriorly threaded as at 52 for attaching a hose, horn or other discharge device for directing the flow of the contents of the container 6.

The larger portion 46 of the core is provided with an annular groove to receive an O-ring seal 54 which seals against the inner surface of the bore 36 and prevents leakage or discharge of the iluid contents of the container at around the core member. The outer end of the core beyond the enlarged portion 46 is of reduced size with a periphery of liattened sides 56 so as to serve as a nut for threading the core into the valve body tightly against the shoulder 38.

The axial passageway el) through the core 312- houses a valve stem 58 of smaller size than the passageway 40 so as to permit free ow of iluid therebetween. The inner end of the valve stern 58 is provided with an integrally formed shoulder 6u against which is secured a valve element comprising a washer 52 of ribre or other composition housed within an inverted acorn or cup-shaped nut 64 which is threaded onto the lower end or extremity of the valve stern, as shown at 66.

The outer end of the valve stern S8 is provided with an integrally formed annular piston portion 68 which slidably ts the upper nished end 70 of the bore 46, The enlarged or piston portion 68 is provided with an annular groove about its periphery in which is housed an O-ring seal 72 for sealing the passageway 70 against the leakage of fluid within the passageway 4t?. The top or outer end of the valve stem 5S protrudes beyond the outer end of the core 34 and is positioned to be engaged on its axial face by a lugV 74 integrally formed on the under side of a valve operating handle 76.

. The handle 76 is pivoted to the top end of a lug 75 integrally formed on the valve body 12 by a pin 78 and extends a considerable distance beyond the lug 74 so as to first finger in a natural position. A locking pin 86 is provided as usual in devices of this character for preventing accidental depression of the handle 76 withoutrst withdrawing the locking pin which passes through the inverted channel-shaped side walls or anges of the handle 75 and rests upon the top end of the core 34, as shown most clearly in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

The valve body is provided with a laterally projecting lug portion 82 upon which'is pivoted a l' ting or carrying handle S4, although it will be understood that the handle 84 may be rigidlyrmounted on the lug 32 and not movably mounted as shown.

The handle S4 isV in alignment with the valve operating handle 76, and the valve body l2 at a point in alignment with the handles and at a location beneath the valve Y operating handle 76, is provided withV a threaded recess Y Opposite sides of thervalve body 12 are provided withV rectangular parallel plane sides 92 and 94 which serve as a nut'for receiving a wrench by which the valve body is tightly screwed into the container 6. It is to be noted that the valve seat, valve element and valve spring are all positioned inwardly of the nut portion formed by the sides 92 and 94 and that this construction results in a valve having an extremely low overall height and devoid of ylong slender necks which may be broken oli in handling and shipping of the containers. The valve body is also provided with a laterally extending lug 96 having an aperture 9S therethroughrbyY which the extinguisher may be hung on a hook or the like. It is also to be noted that the lug 75 extends outwardly from the turning nut formed by the surfaces 92 and 94. Y

In the use of this valveV body the entire mechanism may be first'assembled, including the core, valve, valve stem, and spring, safety disc and blowout plug, and thereafter screwed into the containeror bottle 6. However, it is to be noted that by removing the pivot pin 78 for the valve operating handle 76, access is given to the nut end 56 of theV valve core and the core may be removed from the valve body by applying a wrench thereto, and both the core, valve and Valve stem and valve spring 30 may all be removed from the bore of the valve body for service,. repair, Vreplacement or inspection.

After the core 34 is removed, the valve stern S8 with the valve element'cornprising the sealing disc 62 and nut 64,V may be wtihdrawn from the core without dissembling the not 64 from the threaded end 66 of valve stem 5S. The portion of the axial bore di) of the core 34 is of slightly larger diameter than the upper or outer portion 7i), which outer portion is given a tine finish toits surface so as to provide a proper and effective surface for cooperating with the O-ring seal 72.

By hnishing the bore 36' -With a smooth finish, the O-ring seal 54 is eifective at any point in its boreregardless or manufacturing, tolerances and variations between' the Vshoulder 38 and the O-ring S4.

By locating the safety plug 86 and safety disc 8S underneath the valve operating handle 76, it is protected against being broken onf during shipping and handling and by providing the valve body 12 with a diagonal or inclined blowotf passageway 90, it is possible to provide communication with the interior of the container 6 at a point inward of the valve core 34 and valve element Attention is again called to the fact that this structure has a minimum overall height. This reduces shipping and storage space and minimizes chances of breakage of the discharge head.

Although but one specic embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as deiined by the following claims.

fvVe claim:

l. A discharge head for a high pressure iiuid container, including: a body havinga threadedportion adapted Vto be threadedly connected to a container, said bodyrhaving a core therethrough the inner end ofy which is adapted to communicate with the interior of a container, said body having a discharge port extending outwardly from said bore to the exterior of said body above said threaded portion, and said body having a laterally-projecting lug and connected to said lug portion; and a pressure relief means positioned in said Vrecess in said lug portion and between said handles, said body and lug portion having a slanting open-ended passageway extending therethrough and leading from the wall dening the bottom of said re-v cess to said bore inwardly of said valve assembly.

2. A discharge head as defined in claim yl wherein saidY Vpassageway in its entirety lies in aplane at an angle not more than approximately 45. to the axis of said bore. 3. A discharge head as defined in claim l wherein the inner end of said passageway is located inwardly of the provided with external threads adapted to be screwed into Y a container, said body having a tubular neck below said threaded portion and. adapted to extend into the container, said body having an yaxial bore through said threaded portion and said neck and adapted to communicate at its lower end with the interior ot" the container, said body having a pair of flat sides directly above said threaded portion to accommodate a wrench, said sides being substantially parallel to the axis of said bore, Said body having a discharge port extending outwardly from said bore to the exterior ofv said body between said ilat sides thereof, said body havinga laterally-projecting lug portion approximately dirametrically opposite said discharge port, said lug portion having a recess on its upper surface, said body and lug portion having an open-ended passageway extending from said bore below said discharge port and below the vupper end of said threads upwardly and outwardly and terminating `at the wall deiining the bottom of said recess; valve seat means in Said bore between said discharge port and the lower inner end of said passageway and below the upper end of said threads; main valve means in said bore and movable to and' away from seating engagement with said seat to control duid communication between the lower portion of said bore and said discharge port; resilient meansin the bore of said neck adapted to normally bias said main valve means into engagement with said seat; pressure relief means positioned in said recess; an actuating handle References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 20,535 Hill Oct. 19, 1937 6 Willis Aug. 26, Bastian Nov. 15, Heywood Feb. 3, Fernholz May 23, Naue Mar. 6, Roach July 17, Longstreet Ian. 17, Allen Nov. 23, Stroop Mar. 14, Fawkes May 2,

FOREIGN PATENTS France Nov. 3, 

